A. Rafanelli Winery
Four generations on West Dry Creek Road since the early 1900s, still family owned, still small on purpose. Twenty-five dollars, by appointment, six people maximum, booked by telephone.1
Why go
The family has grown grapes and made wine in the Dry Creek Valley since the early 1900s and the winery is still owned and operated by them, which is why production stays limited.2 Their own line is that the focus has always been quality not quantity, specializing in Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.2 They ask you to call if you are going to be in the area, which is a smaller and older way of running a tasting room than a booking platform.2
Order this / avoid
- Order: the Zinfandel. It is the variety the family is known for and the current release is the 2024.1
- Order: the Estate Blend, 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 Merlot and 10 Petit Verdot.1
- Avoid: turning up. Appointments only, and the days and hours move with the season.1
Good to know
- Tastings are $25 a head and cap at six people. A. List members taste free, up to four.1
- Call 707-433-1385 to book.1
- The winery rebuilt its website on 1 October 2025, and anyone with an old account has to reset a password to use it.2
Verdict
could-visit — One family has grown grapes on West Dry Creek Road since the early 1900s, four generations of it, and the wine they are known for is Zinfandel. The visit is $25, by appointment, six people at most, booked by telephone rather than a platform, which tells you what kind of operation it is. The Estate Blend is 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 Merlot and 10 Petit Verdot. Held here because the family's own page is the only source: no winemaker is named and nobody has published on the wine, which is odd for a producer of this standing.